Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Club: Zucchini-Spice Cupcakes

My apologies to the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Club for the late posting of this month's cupcake selection. I have been called to work this week which meant 14-16 hour work days, reporting at 8AM and not coming home until midnight. I finally got to baking these cupcakes after a short work day (8-hour day).

Got home at 5 o'clock in the afternoon and started baking. I took these pictures before sunset; the cupcakes were still warm so I didn't put frosting on them for the photos. The cupcakes were good with or without frosting. I omitted the nuts, though since I know my kids wouldn't like them.

I had to buy some zucchinis at Trader Joe's for the recipe since my plants got too tired to produce anymore zuchinis. My zucchini plants produced plenty early in the season, now it would produce buds then die out :( I picked out the buds for the photos, my husband cooked them the next day. I didn't get to taste them since I was back at work. I brought over a few of these cupcakes to work and my Brazilian guests loved them!

Thank you to fellow MSC member Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures for this great selection this month. The recipe can be found on page 44 of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. Thanks to Sugar Betty for starting this wonderful group, check out the new website to see how the other members' cupcake creations.

Turon Cupcakes

I've gone bananas! This is what happens when I deny my cravings for turon. Last week I was craving turon big time which led to some experiments in the kitchen. As you can tell from my previous post, I tried to bake turon using phyllo dough instead of lumpia wrappers. This time I went another step further and these are the results: turon cupcakes! Brown sugar pound cake filled with banana sauce and topped with a dollop of jackfruit cream cheese frosting. These turon cupcakes were baked in phyllo-lined muffin tins which gave the cupcakes crunch when you bite into 'em. Just like when you bite into a turon.

I had bananas getting too ripe to eat on its own so decided to use them instead of the saba bananas/plantains normally used to make turon. I adapted Sherry Yard's recipe for Banana Schmutz to make the banana filling. In her book, The Secrets of Baking, she noted that schmutz is German for "dirt" since it looks just like that, brown and thick, (actually, it looks like mud). It doesn't sound or look appetizing but she assured the flavor is out of this world and can lead to many variations and can be used to make souffle, sorbet and even ice cream. I was intrigued so decided to try it for these cupcakes.

I used the brown sugar pound cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. You can also find the recipe in her website right here. The frosting is basic cream cheese frosting with finely minced jackfruit whipped in. It doesn't taste very basic at all. So yummy.

I needed an element of crunch to mimic what you get when biting into a turon. I used two 6-inch squares of phyllo sheets to line my tin. Lining the phyllo took the longest time since the sheets are really fragile. I made sure to generously butter my tins to avoid any stuck cupcakes. As I was lining them, I noticed the edges next to each other were touching so decided to alternate lining them as you can see from the picture. These were taken right out of the oven. Once cooled, carefully lift them out so not to break any of the crisp phyllo.

I cut holes on top (about 1-inch diameter) and scooped some of the cake out. Cutting into them took some patience since I didn't want to disturb the phyllo cups. I used a paring knife to make the hole around then used a teaspoon to scoop them. (Feel free to snack on the scooped out cake. :) The holes were then filled with the banana sauce and then topped with jackfruit cream cheese frosting.

I was really surprised on how these turned out. My husband said they looked like flowers. I do had to repeatedly mention to people I served these to that they can eat the whole thing. They gave me a weird look at first, thinking I'm crazy so I had to explain they are phyllo and not parchment paper. They hesitated for a bit then after a bite (little shards of phyllo goes flying) they gave me a thumbs up. After they swallow, they go "WOW" so that made my day.

I gave one to my Ate (older sister) to see what she thought since she's been a Filipina longer than I have. :) I didn't mention I was going for turon but after the initial weird look she bit into it and exclaimed: "Lasang turon ito, ah!" (This tastes just like a turon). Score!!


Can't wait to make these again, they were surely a fun take on my childhood favorite treats.

TURON CUPCAKES
makes 24

48 sheets of phyllo dough, 6 X 6-inch squares (will only used 1/3 of package)
melted butter for brushing muffin tins

Turon Schmutz
yields about 2 cups

2 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup finely minced jackfruit (available in cans or jars found Asian market)
2 TBSP jackfruit syrup (or water that came in the canned jackfruit)
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt

In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat until solids separate and begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add both sugar and stir until dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Add the bananas and saute, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes, or until the bananas softened and caramelized. Add the jackfruit, syrup and juice. Lower heat and cook for about 1 minute more.

Remove from heat and transfer about half to food processor. Pulse until it becomes a smooth paste. Remove and repeat with remaining mixture. The warm schmutz can be used right away or cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake recipe, please click here

Jackfruit Cream Cheese Frosting
yields about 2 cups

1/2 cup (1 stick of 8 TBSP) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 pound (2 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 TBSP finely minced jackfruit

Beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until fluffy,2 to 3 minutes. reduce speed to low and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time and mix until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl as needed. Use immediately or can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days; before using bring to room temperature and beat on low until smooth again.

Assembly Schedule / Baking Notes:

Both Turon Schmutz and Frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Before starting to mix batter, prepare phyllo sheets, keep covered and refrigerated.
Make cupcake batter.
Brush tins with butter and lay phyllo sheets.
Fill in with batter (I used an ice cream scoop) and bake as directed.
Not sure how long they can keep, they were devoured right away. Best eaten the same day it was baked.


Clara of I Heart Cuppycakes brought back Cupcake Hero with the theme of bananas this month. What great timing so I will be sending this out to her. This will be the first time for my blog to enter a contest so wish me luck. If you think these cupcakes are awesome, please give me a shout-out vote. Thanks and Salamat.

Turon

I've been craving turon for weeks and finally made them. Turon has always been my favorite treat growing up. I remember how I loved these growing up (and still do), I figure I shouldn't deprive my kids and have them miss out on these delicious treats.


Turon are made up of saba bananas rolled in brown sugar and langka then rolled up in lumpia (spring roll) wrapper and fried. Yum! Saba bananas are cooking bananas so they fall into the category of plantains. They are usually shorter than plantains but not as starchy. (More information aboout saba can be found in Market Manila's old post here). In the Philippines they are called saba and are available in many Asian markets. I've seen them in Latino markets as well labeled burro bananas. But if you can't find them, regular eating bananas (firm ones) can be used as well with similar results.


Adding thin strips of langka or jackfruit make these turon really stand out. It gives them an extra dimension and adds a certain sweetness. Fresh jackfruit is hard to come by in the U.S. but canned or jarred ones are readily available in the Asian supermarkets. That's the ones pictured on the top right corner in the photo above.

I've given you the classic recipe here but these sweets treats can also be made with any other ingredients that pairs well with bananas like dulce de leche, cinnamon, chocolate, and even marshmallows. Tangled Noodle even used walnuts and rum on her version of turon (along with the classic recipe); her post can be found here.


The picture above is an experiment to see if I can bake them. I used phyllo sheets instead of lumpia since I wasn't sure if I can bake with them. They came out crunchy on top and the melted brown sugar oozed so these are something you can't just pick up with your fingers and bite. A minor distraction but still pretty good.

My First Macarons

I attempted to make macarons for the second time yesterday and realized I never posted my first time from a few weeks ago. I followed Tartlette's recipe to the letter found in Desserts Magazine.

These turned out so much better than I hoped! I remember when I was baking these, I told myself not expect much, this is just a trial run. I'm normally a very optimistic person overall, but on this baking project I had to psyche myself down (does that make sense?) I've read all the other blogs and read all the challenges and problems others experienced making these. As I stated in my earlier post, I really wanted to make macarons. I had some egg whites left over from a making creme brulee so decided to finally try since I've been putting it off for a long time.

They didn't come out perfect. The domes are too high and not that smooth. A few got cracks and some got ring marks from the piping. I would say they are more on the rustic side. I think it's because I used raw almonds WITH SKINS ON and I didn't sift them enough to get rid of the bigger pieces. But I'm just glad they got feet! I felt just like that bird on top of the crocodile. :) My husband thought I've gone crazy when he saw me jumping around the kitchen.

I just spread Nutella inside since I didn't even plan ahead for the cream filling. I was just worried about getting the shells right. They were pretty tasty so I'm hooked. Did I fare better on my second attempt? Stay tuned.

XOXO :) Cupcakes with Chocolate Chips

Yesterday was my boys' official first day of school. We had a late morning start since they were still tired from spending Sunday at the beach. We wouldn't have gone to the beach if I remembered it would be a school day the next day. What happened to school starting the day after Labor Day?! In all, the boys' first day went smoothly, my youngest starts Kindergarten this year so he was really excited. He got his very own set of books and want to read them all, at the same time! :)


To celebrate I made a quick batch of banana cupcakes to have for snacks after school. It's been really hot right now (100+ degrees!) so I didn't frost them. Instead I just placed some chocolate chips on them AFTER I took 'em out of the oven. The still-hot cupcakes partially melted the chocolate chips in place! Cool! I don't know why I didn't think of doing these before?

The boys helped make the designs but I made sure to watch carefully since the baking tin was still hot. Be sure not to move the chocolate chips once you place them since it melts fast and it will smear, totally just for looks since the cupcakes are light-colored. But I guess it wouldn't matter if you do these on chocolate cupcakes. :)


I also tried using these nut cups (Is it just me or does that sound perverse?!?) which I've seen used to bake cupcakes. I loved how they looked, so chic but so difficult to eat from. It's a struggle to tug on those rolled-up lip on the cups. I don't want delays to my cupcake enjoyment, ha ha.

I am sure you can put chocolate chips onto any cupcake recipe you prefer but the ones I baked can be found here.

The Cake Slice: Pistachio Petit Four Cake

This month, The Cake Slice Bakers chose a cake modeled after petits fours, those tiny creations of cake layered with jam, marzipan, chocolate or fondant and decorated with a piped icing flowers. I was just glad I had to make it on a much bigger scale! This sure was a challenge to me since it was my first time to work with marzipan.


Even though assembling the cake involved many components, it was a thoroughly enjoyable process. It seemed complicated at first so I made sure I organized my work space and everything went smoothly. One hitch, I ran out of marzipan so I didn't get to try on making the roses needed to decorate the top.


The cake has pistachio butter cake layered with a spread of apricot preserves, topped with a disk of marzipan, then a little pouring of dark chocolate ganache. Repeat this two more times then comes my favorite part: pouring a bowlful of bittersweet ganache all over the cake! I find this is the most simple but elegant way to decorate a cake.


Every bite gives you a different dimension of flavor with the bittersweet ganache tying everything together. My kids, who are milk chocolate lovers, didn't even complain about the dark chocolate and everyone else enjoyed it. And why the blue flowers? I think my Kuya (big brother) would like it much better if they weren't pink since I made this for his birthday.


This is the printable recipe for this wonderful cake or just get the book Sky-High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes since all of the cakes are great. Also, please head on over to our blogroll for my fellow bakers' creative interpretation of this cake.

MSC: Chocolate Salted-Caramel Mini Cupcakes

Welcome to the first posting for a new baking group: Martha Stewart Cupcake Club (MSC). Our group will be baking one recipe a month from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. Big thanks to Betty of Eat My Cupcake for organizing this group. Like her, I've had the book since it was released in June and can never find the time to try the recipes. I am finding I am a better blogger when there are deadlines. :)


We are off to a great start with these cupcakes. Don't let the pictures fool you for they are indeed minis. The picture in the book looked like standard-sized ones to me and I was almost tempted to go that route since I only had one mini baking tray. My husband had a great idea of buying a few more trays so we were off to Sur La Table--who could say no to a little shopping? Like I said, I am off to great start joining this group. ;)


These mini cupcakes came out really chocolatey-dark due to the Dutch-process cocoa (I used Guittard Cocoa Rouge). The centers were scooped out and filled with Salted Caramel and sprinkled with a little bit more fleur de sel before being topped with Dark Chocolate Frosting. My frosting didn't come out dark as I'd like just like in the book (I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips)but was really tasty and so shiny. I will make this frosting again maybe using a better-quality chocolate or using more cocoa powder in it.


Overall, these were great but not very appealing to kids. At least mine, anyways. The salt threw them off and they are not caramel eaters. My husband loves caramel so he loved these. I like them as well since I'm a salty & sweet combo fan. They're treats for grown-ups, I suppose.

The recipe states it makes 56 minis. Mine yielded 4 dozen then the rest of the batter was used to fill 6 mini tartlet pans (2-inch disposable ones), simply frosted per my kids' request. The rest were packaged and given away to my sister, sister-in-law and cousin yesterday as a "Happy Friday" treat.

The recipe can be found on page 148 of the book, please check it out. The rest of the baking group can be found on Betty's blog or by clicking on the logo on my sidebar, please check out their creations. I'm off to do the same.